Classical’s Sydney Spiess uses her height to win a headball over Cynthia Deleon. Photo by Bob Roche
By Harold Rivera
LYNN — A rivalry was renewed on a chilly Monday night at Manning Field as the Classical girls soccer team took a 1-0 win over English.
The lone goal of the night was scored by Rams forward Rachel Jordan, who snuck one past English goalkeeper Kerry Robles in the 66th minute of the contest.
“Rachel (Jordan) played the game of her life,” Classical coach Bob Burns said. “She controlled everything, she scored the goal, she played with a sinus infection and she gave everything she had.”
Although the score gave Classical the win, the battle for the star of the game was a tie between Jordan and Robles, who finished with 14 saves for English. Robles was strong in net and made it a tough night for Classical’s offense.
“She was fabulous,” English coach Ed McNeill said. “She’s new to the position. She was not a goalie before this year and she stepped in and played great. She’s probably played five games in goal in her entire life and I thought she was wonderful tonight.”
The first half was a back-and-forth affair, as both teams struggled to get the ball down the field for scoring opportunities. In the final minutes of the half, Classical began to put the pressure on English’s defense. Classical’s best chance to get on the board came in the 36th minute when the Rams earned a penalty kick. Robles denied Jordan as she guessed correctly and dove to the right to swat the ball away.
“That was an unbelievable save,” McNeill said. “Rachel Jordan can really shoot so I thought we were in trouble there. I couldn’t believe it. She guessed right and she looked like a pro goalie there.”
The Rams kept the pressure on in the second half, with shots from Izzy McGaughey and Devyn Astuccio in the 49th and 59th minutes. Robles stopped them both.
Astuccio tried again in the 61st minute with a shot that hit off the crossbar and landed in the hands of Robles, and the game remained scoreless.
“Their goalie was strong,” Burns said. “I have more respect for Ed (McNeill) and his program than you could ever imagine. They play tough defense and that’s why we tried to load up the top with speed because we know they’re unbelievable defensively.”
The action didn’t slow down after Jordan’s goal. Emma Trahant tried to notch the equalizer for the Bulldogs in the 78th minute, but her shot, taken from a difficult angle near the corner, sailed too far to the left.
McNeill said his team struggled to create offense, an area the Bulldogs have been looking to improve on all season.
“The defense played very well,” McNeill said. “The last three games we’ve given up two goals and we haven’t won a game. Scoreless tie, a 1-1 tie and a 1-0 loss. It’s scoring.”
Classical held on in the final minutes to preserve the 1-0 win.
“It means a lot for the girls,” Burns said of the win. “They play harder because they know the girls on the other team. It’s awesome because we got the win but they also have friends on the other team. I’m so happy right now, especially for our seniors. They wanted to play well against English.”
English and Classical will clash against each other again on Oct. 31. Burns, who spoke highly of the Bulldogs after the win, said he expects another tough game from both teams.
“Tonight’s a big night for us,” Burns said. “Ed’s (McNeill) program is top notch. Oct. 31, no matter what happens the rest of the year, they’re going to battle us again.”
Up next for Classical is a home game against Winthrop on Wednesday at 4 p.m. English is off until next Tuesday when the Bulldogs visit Everett.